Creative Team
Brendan Murray
Writer
In a career of over 45 years (he’s that old!) Brendan has been an actor, director, teacher and writer. His plays for young people have been produced all over the world and won both the Brian Way and WGGB award (twice!) – once for the original version of Hare & Tortoise.
Wendy Harris
Artistic Director, Chair of PYA England
Wendy has held the position of artistic director at Tutti Frutti since 2005, touring nationally and internationally, co-producing the Little Feet Festival of Children’s Theatre, and leading on the development programmes and arts engagement work.
Catherine Chapman
Set and Costume Designer
Catherine has been a freelance designer for over fifteen years. Her designs have travelled the world with audiences seeing her work in Toyko, New York and Kong Hong. She first worked with Tutti Frutti in 2005 and over the years has designed many shows for the company including Ugly Duckling, Rapunzel, Hare and Tortoise, Monday’s Child, and The Princess and The Pea.
Sara Burns
Lighting Designer.
Of Nordic heritage, Sara Burns is a Lighting Designer working across theatre, television, and live events. Recent Tutti Frutti Productions theatre credits include, Underneath a Magical Moon, Glass Slippers, The Lightbulb Princess, Yellow is the Colour of Sunshine, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and Rapunzel.
She was Lighting Designer for the Olivier Award-nominated 10 Nights (Graeae/Tamasha/Bush Theatre), Hello and Goodbye, (York Theatre Royal) Colder Than Here, Blue Stockings, and The Beggars of York. Other credits include ongoing collaborations with leading creative agencies, designing for broadcast events and architectural installations. Sara also lectures in technical theatre design, bringing a passion for storytelling and visual atmosphere to the next generation of theatre-makers.
Dominic Sales
Composer
Dom loves writing music, playing music, recording music and listening to music. He has written music for lots of different people, from Atomic Kitten to Opera North and the BBC to a feature film starring John Rhys-Davies. Dom is director/producer for the record label Jellymould Jazz and also plays the triangle.
Calum Clark
Production Manager
Calum is an experienced production and technical stage manager who has toured nationally and internationally with Tutti Frutti since 2016.
Other escapades include Wrongsemble’s Not So… trilogy (Leeds), Archipelago Arts’ Mother Of The Revolution (Leeds) and numerous site specific projects with Slung Low (Hull, Sheffield, Manchester).
Carly Blackburn
Carly is a Movement Director, Choreographer and Yoga teacher. With over 15 experience as a Professional Dancer (London Studio Centre 2006 -2009).
Recent work: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, Choreographer, Secret Cinema, Doctor Who: Time Fracture' West end, Movement Director, BBC/Immersive Everywhere, 'National Theatre Connections 2021' workshop Movement facilitator and ‘Swallows & Amazons’, Movement Director, York Theatre Royal.
Rachel Dean
Bradford City of Culture – Producing Hub Artist
Rachel is a Choreographer, Movement Director, Performer and Facilitator/Teacher with 18 years professional experience in a wide variety of contexts in Leeds/Bradford, across the UK and in Europe. She is also Artistic Director of Speedwell Dance and works freelance on other projects.
Touring Team
Heather Newsham
Stage Manager
Heather is a Leeds-based stage manager with over a decade of professional experience. She
has worked as a CSM for companies including Red Ladder, Leeds Conservatoire, Wrongsemble, Stute
Theatre, Utopia Theatre and Northern Ballet. Heather has toured to Geneva with Engine House
theatre, and across the UK with Opera Up Close and The British Paraorchestra.
Steve Watlings
Stage Manager Steve has over 25 years of working primarily as a Freelance practitioner in Technical/company Stage Manager/ Production Manager roles with a variety different theatres and theatre companies both nationally and internationally. Steve has toured internationally with a number of shows inc, 1927-‘Animals & Children took to the streets’; Second-Hand Dance-‘Grass’ & ‘Getting Dressed’; Humanhood- “Infinity”
Steve really enjoys working with Festivals and Site-specific Projects inc; Transform Festival, High Tide Festival, Proper Job Theatre Company & Bradford City of Culture 2025.Steve regularly works with companies and organisations such as Polite Rebellion, Tangled Feet Theatre Company, Unlimited Theatre, Leeds Playhouse & Leeds Conservatoire. He lives in the Pennines North-East of Manchester where he enjoys walking, running and is involved in local community projects.
Jonny Mills
Jonny who plays Hare is a Sheffield born actor and facilitator trained at East 15 Acting School. Recent credits include Smashed Live (Touring with Collingwood Learning), Cups on a String (National tour with Riding Lights Theatre Company), Bleak Expectations (Westacre Theatre) and Death of a Chairman (Clifftown Theatre). Jonny was a 2024 Vamos Theatre Emerging Artist and strives to make fulfilling and diverse theatre for all.
Holly Mimi Bernice
Holly Mimi Bernice who plays Tortoise is an Actor-Musician who graduated from The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (2021). Since then, Holly has worked with various theatre companies, including All Things Considered Theatre and Double Olivier nominated Splendid Productions.
Elizabeth Robin
Elizabeth who plays Time trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Theatre credits include Last Unicorn Airways (Blanket Fort Club), GLOW (Buglight Theatre), Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (440 Theatre), Roger McGough’s Money Go Round (UK Tour), Romeo and Juliet (Theatr Clwyd), Peter Pan (Illyria Theatre), Shake the City (Leeds Playhouse), Atalanta Forever, A Dog’s Tale, All Hands on Deck, Redcoats (Mikron Theatre Company), The Little Mermaid (Liverpool Everyman Theatre), Departures - A Song Cycle (Pleasance London), A Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer (Complicité, National Theatre Studios), and numerous pantos across the country.
